Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada Emerging Spirit @ The United Church of Canada

Bassic-ly, here are the facts

And to back up my rantings, from the first page of the Environics Research report available on this site (http://www.emergingspirit.ca/files/Environics%20Research%20Report.pdf)

Values and Beliefs of the Chosen Population
The survey found that by far the most important things to those between the ages of 30 and 45 who don’t go to church are their children (74%) and family (71%), followed by their friends (34%), their job (27%), and financial situation (27%).

Children and family is already their #1 priority. This is a non-issue, and if anything this ad just reminds them of how they are not living up to their own expectations!

Later same page

Environics found that—perhaps contrary to what is commonly thought—people in this demographic do not identify worship styles or time constraints as the prime barriers to joining a faith community. More than anything, it is the perceived content that they think they will find at church that puts them off.
Seventy-three percent of those in the chosen population think that “organized religion tells you what you have to believe” and say that they would rather work out these beliefs by themselves or with those close to them.

Sixty-two percent of this demographic believe that “organized religion makes things too black and white,” and a majority (59%) say they believe in God, “but not in the traditional way.” In fact, 59% would also say that “if Jesus were alive today, he would not be associated with an organized religion.”

The biggest turn off is telling them how they should run their lives. And make sure you do that as a guilt trip on their #1 priority in life. Smooth.

Why don’t we look further in the report and see what common values the church has with this group. I recommend the graph on page 3 but I can’t reproduce it here.

A summary on page 5 says

Potentials would be most interested in the message of a church that:
• reaches out to those in need and works for justice in the world
• is welcoming to everyone
• builds relationships between people of different faiths
• Is open to questioning, debate and change
• respects the earth and the environment

From the last page of the report

This Environics survey shows that, contrary to what is commonly thought, interest among many adults for a church with the attributes that the United Church possesses remains strong. Reaching the 30- to 45-year-old age group with a message about the church that is strong enough to overcome the apprehensions that many in this demographic have about organized religion will be a challenge, but certainly worth the effort.

Our toughest battle is to get past the “This is how to run you life” impression of church, and onto the let’s explore these issues message. We should be running with the ads that highlight our questioning, not guilt tripping busy people.

Bassic

(The good news about transit ads is most of the cost is for the space, perhaps a quick reprint could make this a more effective campaign. And by more effective I mean following the advice of our consultants.)

Feedback

Pinga,

Thanks for the feedback. My highly abrasive nature about the Emerging Spirit program is based on an irrational, obessive, distant yet intimate, love of it. I commend their effort, and in my supportive yet abusive manner, I try and push the envelope. Consider me a locust eating voice crying in the wilderness. I am not the Emerging Spirit program, but I wish to show all the way to it. (And for heaven's sake don't think that following my lead is is the rational way!)

Above all I want to hear how the response to the ad series went, and I want everyone else to hear it too! I am provocative (and hopefully not too offensive), to try and get the feedback flowing.

There is cause for hope.